AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A brief silence hung in the air as the rest of the guys climbed out of the pool, grabbed a drink, and found a seat on the lounge chairs.
“Are you going to let Serenity set you up with Maddy again?” asked Ethan.
“Oh, man, I don’t know. She wasn’t even willing to come out of her room. I think I should take that as a sign, don’t you?”
Ethan shrugged. “I just think she needs a little more time.”
Jack looked from Ethan to Ruger and back. “Time for what?”
Ethan went on to explain what happened with the woman and the heartbreaking reason she seemed reluctant to date. Jack had to agree with her. He wasn’t sure how he’d handle being left at the altar, but he suspected she was dealing with it much better than he would have.
“What about that date with Jo?” asked Ruger.
Booker grinned. “Date with Jo?” His eyes went wide. “Jo Stewart? Nose in a notebook or behind a camera, Jo?”
Jack grumbled under his breath. “It wasn’t a date. We had dinner. That’s all.” He looked at Booker. “Yes, Jo Stewart. She’s the one writing the article about Serenity and Ethan. And, she is a fantastic photographer.”
“I guess I just didn’t put it together.” Booker shook his head. “Guess life didn’t throw all of us curve balls, huh?”
“Guess so,” Jack replied, pushing off the steps and strolling over to the lounge chair next to Ruger. He checked the time on his phone. “I’m going to go ahead and dry off. The pizza should be here shortly, and I need to get the poker table set up in the living room.”
Even with the heated water, after the sun went down, there would be no more swimming. It was warm in May, but not nearly enough for that.
Grabbing his towel, he dried himself off as he walked to the back door, stopping long enough to dry a little more. He was a grown man, at least a foot taller than his mom, and smart enough to know she wouldn’t put up with water all over her floors.
When he was sure his mom wouldn’t kill him, he went inside, dug in his bag for a T-shirt, and put it on. The doorbell rang, and he trotted to the door. “You’re ear—” The word died on his tongue. “Jo?”
Tonight, her hair was in loose curls and hanging past her bare shoulders. She’d picked another sleeveless dress that looked as soft as her skin and sandals. He pictured himself pulling her flush against his body, slipping his hand behind her neck, and bringing his lips down to hers.
The wiggle of a brown paper cylinder brought him back to the present. She smiled. “Hey, sorry to interrupt. We thought you guys might like some homemade chocolate ice cream.”
“Chocolate ice cream?” he asked as he took the canister. “And who is we?”
“Well, I should say Lucy since she made it. I’m just the delivery girl.”
“I thought you’d be with Serenity and the bridal party.”
She chewed her lip. “I stayed at the café to help Lucy clean for dessert when they returned.”
“Ah. Well, thank you. I’m sure we’ll love it.”
She grinned. “Good. I also have some news for you.”
“Me?”
She hesitated a moment.
“Is everything okay?”
“Craig is meeting with Grandma and me tomorrow morning to go over the offer.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh. Wow.”
Crossing her arms over her chest she looked at the floor. “I’ve given it some thought, and as much as I hate the idea, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing if she sold.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Grandma could come live with me in New York. There’d be plenty for her… for us to do. I think she’d love it.”
While Jack could picture a lot of things, Charlie living in New York wasn’t one of them, but if that was their choice, then he’d support it. “Have you talked to your grandma about living in New York?”
“Not yet, but if she sells the house, she’ll need to live somewhere. Why not with me? It would give us a chance to spend time together.”
